It is easier and more productive having a private room to work. Some painters need more space than others. Having your own workspace is a great privilege. Not everyone has the good fortune to have even the desire to paint let alone their own workspace where they can experiment and learn to develop a God given talent.

Adopt a permanent workspace if you can. At any time of the day or night the workspace should be accessible and allow freedom to commence work with immediate effect. There should be no need to ask others to leave or remove the belongings of others out of the way. The workspace should be set aside and dedicated for your painting work alone. Think of it as a sort of shrine and be jealous of others going anywhere near your workspace unless at your request. Privacy cannot be overstated. Try to keep the aura of the workplace entirely your own. You do not allow the vibrations of others to invade where you paint as young children pets and nosy family members at the wrong time can be a pain.

Always locate at right angles to a window from your left side. This helps to give a strong feeling of light direction in your work. Watercolor painting is all about light. Oil and Acrylic painters create their own light quality in their work. Watercolor painters have this for free by retaining the light already in the paper. It is unwise to paint watercolors in artificial light.

If you have a garden erect a lockable well insulated timber shed. The shed should be located windows facing north and built to allow for extension. Direct light from the sun reflected by the paper up into the eyes will cause glare and make it impossible to work. It is better in the case of a garden shed to fix a worktop along the whole length of the shed first making sure the distance between the back edge of the entrance door frame and the inside face of the window wall is sufficient to accommodate the front to back dimension of the worktop.

Fix a standpipe near the entrance door for water. It will be good to connect an electricity power supply.

Materials should be ready available and in place. It should not be necessary to start cleaning brushes or the work desk or looking for lost equipment before starting work. If possible lock the door against unwanted entry and only allow others in under your supervision. Do not lend anything to anyone. Before starting work the most you should need to do is get fresh water to mix some colors. Start each work session as if afresh.

Your drawing board on which the paper [ground] will rest should be large enough to accommodate the size of your paper with about 5 inches plus all round. Perhaps the optimum board size is 800 x 600 x 18mm thick - white laminate faced. The extra space is used to rest the hand or to place test strips of paper cut from cheaper watercolor paper or the back of discarded spoiled work. Pin a cotton strip 4 inches wide 2 feet long to the right of the board into the edge of the worktop for quick cleaning. Also use half a hand towel for drying hands.

The ground is not stretched nor pinned nor fixed to the board in any way. This will allow the paper to be quickly positioned in response to the movement of the watercolor.

A board tilt block should be softwood [resin-free] about 70 x 120mm. The softwood tilt is lightweight for quick removal when required. A good idea is to cover the tilt with blanket material to stop board rock.

I use a flush door as a worktop resting on bookcases. Its working height has to suit you - crotch height when standing. Suspend a tray shelf below 4 inches clear for portfolios.

Over the worktop I lay doubled heavy white canvas sailcloth. Below the worktop is a basket for waste paper and unwanted bits. On the floor where I stand is a thick rug or strip of carpet to keep the feet warm and to prevent slipping.

I sit on a draughtsman’s adjustable height and back revolve chair. I have a wooden angled footrest with a mat on it - for use when seated.

On the wall is a chalkboard for quick idea sketching notes

To the right of board I have two white enameled gas oven trays for palettes and behind the board I have additional narrower trays for water buckets. On these trays are all the painting materials for quick removal. To the left behind the board are test papers strips and cleaning paper rolls. A one-sided graduated stainless steel straight edge is wall hung. All white kitchen paper roll is used to dab watercolor clouds painting. Toilet rolls to the right are used to clean and dry the oven trays.

To the left of board are reference books color and other pencils. Also draughtsman tools setsquares compasses dividers the lot. Build up these supplies gradually as needed. Do not waste money. On a separate table I let paintings to dry under mount and glass. Do not forget the computer!

Try to keep the air at constant temperature and humidity. Try to position the workplace so you can move around everything. Avoid having the worktop with the long edge against the wall if possible - except of course in the case of a garden shed studio. It is then easier to keep the studio clean and tidy.

Please remember painting is a very private world where problems arising from the difficulties of the work need an advance in personal development before their solution is possible. It is advisable to keep mentally and physically fit. Resist depressions like the plague. Keep your spirits refreshed and positive at all times.

My very best wishes.

John Blenkin is a retired architect and is now a watercolor painter and article writer. His interests are wide covering both technical and philosophical subjects. He also writes online articles on the technique of watercolor painting.

Flat Wash Technique - The flat wash technique is one of the more basic and common of the various techniques. The flat wash technique is usually used when large areas of the canvas need to be covered. You will want to lay out the watercolor wash evenly and uniformly. First you will need to dampen the area of your canvas where you will be applying the watercolor wash. Make certain to have an adequate amount of water and pigment available before your start. If you should have to stop for any reason, it will be difficult to match your layers. It is better to have more than less available. The angle at which you apply the watercolor wash is important. If the angle is too steep your wash will run down the paper. If the angle is too level, then you won’t have enough movement. Use a large brush for this technique and start your first stroke at the top of the paper. Continue applying the watercolor wash going down the paper, but alternate sides as you move down.

Glazing Technique - The glazing technique is when you apply a thin transparent color over a completed dry layer of color. This technique creates some very interesting blends of new color. You will need to use a non-staining, transparent color for this watercolor technique. You should use a soft brush and don’t apply that much pressure.

Wet In Wet Technique - Wet in wet is simply applying a wet wash over a wet surface. You start by evenly wetting the paper with a brush or spray bottle. Have a sponge handy to absorb any excess water. You want your paper to be evenly saturated. Then apply your watercolor.

Dry Brush Technique - With the dry brush technique, your paper is completely dry. You then apply a fairly dry pigment with very little water to the paper.

The dry brush technique should only be used where you want to draw focus or create texture in your painting. It’s always a good idea to use various watercolor brush techniques in a single painting. This results in a more interesting painting.

Lifting Off Technique - Artists use this technique when they want to remove watercolor from a certain area of the panting. It is usually done by first wetting the area that needs to be removed with a clean sponge and then absorbing the color with a tissue. If you find that the color does not come off right away, then let the water soak in a bit longer and try again. If you still are unable to remove the color, then dampen a bristle brush and gently scrub the area. You should use extreme care with this watercolor technique, as there is a risk you can damage the paper.

I hope this article on watercolor techniques has helped. Happy Painting!

If at all possible, I highly recommend you paint your portraits using a live model as opposed to a photograph. There is simply no substitution for painting from life.

Painting a successful portrait is all about how you observe the subject. You want to study the subject as a whole. Study the bone structure and try to see shapes and planes. Do not try and paint every little detail exactly as you see it.

For beginners, it is probably best to start out with a lighting effect where light and shadow are in high contrast. This will make for a much easier painting.

Focus on one section at a time. Finish each section before moving on to the next.

Keep the darks of your portrait at a thin consistency while your lights should be painted on thickly.

Many beginners struggle with mixing flesh tones. I know I did when I first started painting. Remember that skin comes in a variety of colors & textures, so there is no specific formula for mixing flesh tones in portrait painting. You will have to experiment and practice, until you find the right color mixtures for any particular subject. Never purchase any pre-mixed flesh colors. When mixing your colors be careful not to over mix, which can deaden a color.

Try and repeat the colors and values in your painting to create balance.

When painting hair, don’t try and paint every individual strand of hair. Look at the hair as one object and then paint the lights and darks. Paint the hair in the direction of the shape of the head.

The muzzle area of the face (the space between the nose and mouth) is generally the same color as the flesh but cooler.

When painting backgrounds, don’t make them too detailed or busy. If you do, you will draw focus away from your portrait.

Add bits of color where the shadow meets the light in your portraits.

Fleshier parts of the face are generally warm and bonier parts of the face, like the chin for instance, are generally cool in color.

The white in the eye is not white. To get an accurate color for the white in the eye you can take the subjects basic flesh color and then lighten it with a gray made from black and white.

I hope these portrait painting tips & techniques have helped. Portrait painting can be difficult, possibly even frustrating in the beginning. Never give up and keep practicing. You will get the hang of it.

I was thrilled that Peter wanted to draw me, but I found sitting for him was the most deadly job in the world. I sat on an uncomfortable chair in Hockney’s studio for what seemed like hours, forbidden to move or talk. He did allow me to have breaks from time to time, so I stood on my head without bothering to remove my Manolo pink skyscraper high heeled shoes. But, the acute boredom was worth it. He did a marvellous painting of me in the green leopard skin frock, and it currently hangs in his New York loft, which he shares with Eric Boman, the photographer, and author of ‘Blahnik By Boman’. The late John Kobal, the film historian, who had the largest movie stills collection in the world, visited them in New York once, and admired the painting so much, that Peter offered to sell it to him. Although John was one of my best friends, he didn’t think Peter’s asking price was worth it.

I also religiously wore the green leopard skin when I posed for Adrian George, the illustrator and painter in his Bayswater attic flat. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough space for me to stand on my head there. Adrian once drew me sitting in a deckchair and he captured me perfectly. I was young at the time and I looked pretty vacant in the drawing. Adrian was my Svengali at the time. He even helped me get a job as the gossip columnist on David Bailey’s Ritz Newspaper in the late Seventies. Adrian also inspired me to invent a character called Jonti in “Frantic”, my novel about the early Seventies. Jonti got Alice, the book’s heroine a job, which was true to life.

I wasn’t Adrian George’s only protégé though. He had an inner circle of his disciples and drew all of them at one time or another. His dealer usually flogged his stuff, but luckily, he gave me the deckchair drawing of myself, which hangs on my office wall today. Adrian also drew Marinka, a professional artist’s model a lot. She was chocolate box pretty, and had a voluptuous body which the artists loved to paint. When she wasn’t sitting for Adrian, she regularly sat for other painters like Ron Kitaj. I don’t know how she had the patience to pose from nine to five, because I thought that having to sit statue still for hours, while being drawn was definitely the most boring job in the world – even though I tried to console myself when I did it, I was posing for posterity.

The Eyes
The eyes are the most important part of the face. If you don’t put enough detail into them then your whole portrait will look stiff.

Take a look at your eyes up close in the mirror. Notice how your tear ducts are like little pink seeds in the corners of your eyes. Also notice that your iris is not just a circle of color in a circle of white, but several circles of different colors, with specks of color within those. Take a look at how your eyelashes aren’t all the same length. They are longer in the middle than on the edges.

Use what you observe in your drawing or painting and make sure not to leave a detail out.

The Nose
The nose is infamous for being the hardest facial feature to draw. Once again, take a look at your own in the mirror.

Nose’s contours usually flow into the beginning of the eyebrow. Also, the edge of the nose, in a drawing or painting, is regulated by the edge of the eye and how close the eyes are to each other.

The nostrils are not simply holes in the base of the nose, but curves of flesh that are connected to the upper part of the lip.

The Mouth
There are a few basic thing to remember when drawing or painting a realistic mouth. First, the line in the inner edge of the lips is always the darkest in color. Second, the outer edge of the lip shouldn’t be a hard edge. It should be shaded area to define the shape. Third, remember that lips are not perfectly smooth; they have lines and wrinkles just like the rest of the face.

The Eyes
First, let’s look at the proportions of the eye to understand how to draw it better. On the average person, the eyes are an eye width apart from each other. They are also halfway down the head.

Next, take a look at eye shape. Are the eyes you want to draw almond? Round? Slanted? Remember that the eye has many other parts than just the eyeball and lids. Draw all the rings of color and black on the eyeball itself. Also, draw the tear duct, the lashes, and the rim of the lid. Don’t forget all those telling laugh lines, either!

The last part to drawing an eye is observing the shadows and hues. The eye’s shadow is darker under the lower lid than on the upper. The creases in the lid are nothing more than saturated shading. Don’t ever use sharp lines when shading the eye.

One last thing on shading, the eyeball must be shaded around to look round. Shade by the tear duct and outer corner, making the very edges especially dark.

For a dramatic effects, make the black of the eye the darkest black in the portrait.

Nose
When I first started drawing the nose I used lines to try to define it. That was my first mistake. If you take a look at respectable pencil drawings you’ll see that the nose rarely has any hard lines. Usually, only the nostrils have dark, hard lines. The rest is all shading. Define the upper curve of the nose by continuing the line of the brow and shadow under the eye.

The nostrils aren’t always the darkest point in the portrait. Remember, the darker the area, the more it will draw the eye. Do you really want people to look at the portrait’s nostrils first?

Lips
Lips don’t seem as hard as the nose, but they can pose problems. The biggest part that you should remember is that lips are soft. The upper lip is usually a little darker than the bottom and the outer edges are not hard lines, but shadows (unless the subject is wearing lipstick). The upper lip is defined by the dips in skin between the nose and lips. Notice how this dip is darker in the middle and lighter on the ridges.

This book is perfect for a beginning portraitist, but can also be found valuable by the advanced artist. The farther you read, the more advanced the techniques get. Starting at pencil handling, proportions and planes, the book progresses into gestures, cross-hatching, muscles and profiles.

One thing that this book covers, but most others miss out on, is how to draw individual face parts in detail. The eye, lip, nose, and ear are coved in detail. The eyebrows and lashes are not forgotten, either. Not only does Portrait Drawing show how to draw these parts of the face, but it also gives detailed instructions on how to draw them expressing emotion.

Portrait Drawing also covers how to draw hands. This is a bit of a surprise, but makes sense since many portrait poses include the chin propped by a hand and such. In fact, Freeman addresses this right off the bat in his book’s preface, “I am dismayed to see countless drawings of the human form where the face and hands are absent…. But, ultimately, to deprive a person of their face or hands in a life drawing is to deprive them of their humanity: art, I believe, should always endeavor to celebrate this humanity, not to denigrate it.”

The book also incorporates the ideas of developing the proper attitude towards drawing, “grammar of the face”, and “shorthand” studies. These all hit on the unique views of Freeman, and give the reader a different take on the subject at hand. The book also delves into the art of caricature, an often overlooked form of portraiture.

One problem a beginning artist may find when using Portrait Drawing is that the book focuses on female faces almost exclusively. The author says in the book’s preface that this is because, “it encompasses all of the finer aspects and subtle difficulties encountered within portrait drawing“. The book also leaves out the mechanics of drawing of children and babies, reducing the subject to one page, so the beginning artist is left to find that information elsewhere.

Overall, the artist will find this book a satisfying “meal” of in-depth portrait drawing hints and techniques, even if they may have to find dessert elsewhere.

As animals are not renown for their patience or ability to sit still it is usually necessary to work from photographs supplied by their owner. Although it is preferred that more than one view is supplied (and preferably in close up) often this isn’t possible. I remember one lady commissioning a painting of her mother’s Bichon Frise and giving me a tiny snap shot one inch square with the dog standing ten feet away! She then finished with the statement “I guess if I don’t like it I’m stuck with it”. Another lady gave me a black and white photograph of her son’s bullmastiff. It was a beautiful shot but of course in monochrome so I had to find other similar pictures so that I could match the dog’s colors. She was pleased with the finished result and said that she wanted to commission another painting, this time of her friend’s boxer “But you only need a black and white photo to work from though, right?”

Then there is the tension on delivery of the painting. Is it any good? Will the owner like it? Sometimes this can lead to disappointment on both sides. One woman commissioned a doorstop of her lovely marmalade Persian cat “Humphrey” in the style of another work of mine that she had seen. She had given me five photographs of him but unfortunately they were all taken in different lights giving a varying look to his coat. It took five weeks for me to strike a happy medium but she was severely disappointed in the end result and I nearly gave up commissioned work permanently. It is difficult for “non-arty” people to realize that each artist has their own style and this will reflect in the finished work otherwise it would be much easier just to take a really good photo and have it framed.

But then there are moments that make this business worthwhile. One client wanted a painting of her daughter’s dear departed rat “Merlin”. Unfortunately she didn’t have a photograph so she described what he looked like as well as some of his quirky little personality traits. I used a picture of a hooded rat as a reference and when I delivered the completed artwork she exclaimed “But that’s exactly what he looked like!” Then there was another woman who had a prize-winning photograph of her gorgeous chocolate box tabby and white Persian kitten Whiskers. She wanted the whole photo reproduced, right down to the grain of the wooden table the cat was sitting on. When she saw the finished painting she cried (and in a good way!). Finally there was “Cindy the Pug” a memorial to a much loved pet who had passed away. The lady who commissioned it one day found her husband talking to the painting. When she asked him what he was doing he replied, “It’s ok, I’m just talking to Cindy”. Those are the moments that inspire you to continue picking up your paintbrush to try and capture a memory.

Colour decision making:
The portrait painter reflects something of their own personality in the choice of colour used. This choice, correctly made will achieve a visual pleasure in your painting. The correct balance of colour will make the painting alive and pleasing to the eye.

Painting is both craft and art. Paint is the artists medium of expression; craft is the combination of preparation and application of the chosen medium ( the sample is painted in Pastels)This application is known as ‘handling’ which is the signature of the artist personal style.To paint a portrait is a most challenging subject for the artist.

There are rewards of great satisfaction to capture the expression of a human likeness.

NOTE: An artist should look beyond the wrinkles and ’see’ character lines.

Hints:

*The artist should aim to paint a memorable likeness and inner quality beneath that likeness. A successful portrait is just that when the artist and subject are compatible.

*A meeting of the artist and sitter, prior to the beginning of the painting is a recommended idea.

*Choose the most outstanding features, these will be the focal points of the portrait. Every expression of the face and figure should be observed.

NOTE: chat as you paint, throughout the sitting; encourage the sitter to talk about themselves, their work, hobbies, ambitions and achievements as these discussions usually animate their expression.

Prelude to a painting:
*Some pitfalls to avoid. An artist must try not to execute the details too soon, as one will destroy simplicity of the head as a whole.

*No part of a portrait exists by itself, one must learn to look at the face as a whole, and not one feature at a time.

*Every new subject is a challenge, as we are all unique.

*The eyes are often the dominant feature in a face, so one should try to maintain eye contact with the subject, but they should be painted with the subject being unaware at that time, as they can become self-conscious and then could blink the eye movements or worse still just stare!

*The mouth should be painted softly and flexible, with no hard lines. The final statement of expression is the accent of the division between the lips; this with the corners of the mouth decides the form of their shape.

Visit for some lessons in pastel portraits.

Summary:
1.A portrait is the accumulation of numerous expressions suggested as the artist sees them. Some expressions come fleetingly and must be recorded immediately; here I repeat the importance of viewing the head as a whole and being prepared to leave an area you may be working on, to place a stroke here and there to indicate the expressions as they appear, before they elude you.

2.There is a danger with the tendency to linger and elaborate over certain features in the early stages and it is a good idea to sustain the emotion.

3.The final touches should be so subtle that they go unobserved, allowing the final impression to reveal something about the subject which is independent of nationality or age.

4.The artist should feel a sense of achievement, if the rapport with the subject has been congenial, both the artist and subject will be satisfied as the mystique of the person is revealed. Happy portrait painting.

Then Kings and Queens of Europe had miniature portraits painted and a new concept for these tiny works of art arose.

These paintings were painted for manuscripts, treaties etc.

Early miniature portraits:
The title ‘miniature’stems from the word ‘minium’ (red lead) and the early portraits on illuminated manuscripts were outlined with red and so the word miniature was born

Artists painted them for ladies to wear inside a locket or were kept in a special wooden case for security.

A traditional miniature is usually 7.8 cm x 6.6 cm and even smaller. Just imagine a painting as small as a one dollar coin!

Suggestions on surface:
Miniatures can be painted on any smooth surface, but the master painters used Vellum. In 1700 ivory was the chosen material to paint on, it comes from the tusks of elephants and has been banned from import in some countries. A substitute is Ivorine.

Today, miniature art is acceptable on any surface, however the size must fall within the certain size categories to be considered and accepted as miniature.

Portraits were the main subject matter but today this art expression is one that uncovers an unlimited subject matter. Miniature painting is on the upsurge and has evolved over the past 500 years. Many artists paint floral, scenic and other subject matter.

It is now an art form of surprise with so many new ideas so enlarge on your ideas as you progress with miniature painting.

Tiny paintings are art treasures and unique gems of creativity.

More suggestions for miniature painting surface:
Watercolours on paper is the easiest method to begin with. Make sure the paper is smooth, hot press paper is recommended, as a rough surface will inhibit the fine brush application required.

After marking out your subject matter, apply thin washes of colour, as you begin to build up the tones, shadows of your subject be patient and wait for each application to dry. Your brush should be damp, not wet, for fine strokes to be aquired.

TIP: make sure your brush has a fine tip for stroking. A No 3 or smaller, good quality sable brush is ideal for stroking or stippling.

Ivorine is a challenge but fascinating as other mediums may be used on this plastic type surface. It comes in sheets which can be cut to the required size.

Before you begin to paint ,your piece of Ivorine should be washed and then lightly sanded, the particles cleaned and your area is ready for your miniature masterpiece.

Protect your finished art work as finger prints etc., can ruin the many hours of work. Either have it framed immediately or cover with tissue/grease proof paper and place between two pieces of card for protection.

Porcelain is a perfect surface for miniature painting. Painting on porcelain must be fired in a kiln between each application. I suggest you visit here:

where this method is explained in detail .

Ivory is the age-old surface and still is an artist’s choice as oil painting medium can be used. Small brushes are still used and the brushes must be cleansd thoroughly.

This is only a miniature article on the subject .

Enjoy your experience with creating miniatures